Monday, 30 March 2015

...They decline large denomination notes for lack of change!

Have you noticed, or haven't you, how if any business person or
concern will turn you away with your money because they are not able to
change the high denomination Kwacha you have planted on their counter,
they will almost be invariably indigenous Zambian? Oh yes!
True,
we seem to have readily realised that we can, after all, earn a
worthwhile living out of trading in all sorts of merchandise including
(pardon my examples) used underwear and so called "manhood" and hip or
breast enlarging concoctions for those that feel belittled by their
current God-given natural body sizes! (Where are they that specialise in
brain enlargement for I hear bigger brains are more useful than bigger
sex symbols?)
But I'm talking about our strange if not dull
indigenous entrepreneurs or their agents at the counter or till who are
so desperately bankrupt of business sense they don't have the slightest
idea it is their business to stock enough change because refusal to
attend to a client on account you have "no change" negatively affects
your rate of turn over!

Unrebased Kwacha.

In case even this begins to sound like original
South African "cingoni" which is unfamiliar to many a Zambian ear, don't
you surely enhance your profit-making abilities by getting as many
clients to buy as much as is possible of your merchandise off your
shelves? So how on earth do you attain this goal by either being so
indolent or ignorant you can't make daily runs to the nearest bank (and
they are now all over including the townships) to change some of your
in-hand Kwacha into smaller denominations for purposes of being able to
accept every note that comes your way and give the valued client their
due change?

Soiled Notes

Not with our country men and women that have opted to survive by vending, I tell you!

"Aaah, palibe change [Aaah, there's no change]," they will tell you nonchalantly and quickly face
skywards to make it crystal clear that any further comment from you is
unwelcome and a bother! Take the same denomination into an Indian or
Lebanese (or even Rwandan) shop next door, they will willingly sell you
that K3 Coca Cola and give you back your K97 change without a single
sign of irritation with you. They are counting their turn over, the
number of stuff leaving their shelves, and how each item, no matter how
small, is building towards the huge profit with which in a matter of
time they will dominate you and I sooner than later while you keep
crying that "foreigners this" or "foreigners that"!
If you
haven't observed this, or you have and now think like me that indigenous
Zambians have a curious if not peculiar way of shooting themselves in
the business foot, take a tattered or partly torn Kwacha note to them
and try to transact! They will refuse to accept that MONEY and
vehemently order you to produce "better" money the very effort making
you wonder whether the notes, Dollar, Naira, Kwacha, name them are part
of the main course at dinner so they must be very neat for our healthy
and happy chewing!
On the other hand, watch how the Indian or
Lebanese (or even Burundese) will tuck that tattered Kwacha away,
another item sold, turn over rate up by one, and at the end of the day
or early tomorrow, at the time of going scouting for change, the torn or
tattered notes will form normal banking business!
You can trust
your indigenous entrepreneur or their agent to refuse to serve you over
terribly trivial matters like tattered notes and explain with so much
conviction "bamatishauta ba boss tikatenga ndalama zong'ambika [the boss shouts at us if we accept tattered bank notes]."
[Photo credit: Global Voices]

Friday, 27 March 2015

A dedicated presidential health unit, as announced initially
by Vice President Inonge Winaand explained in depth by Health
Minister Dr Joseph Kasonde, is an unnecessary waste of resources which could be channelled to the health
sector for the benefit of all citizens.

In announcing government’s intention in parliament, Dr Kasonde said such a
body would be headed by a person who would be appointed by the president
including other support staff adding that appointing a Physician to the
President is the best way to institutionalize an autonomous office to look into
the health of a sitting Republican President and future Heads of State.

However, the current Zambian constitution contains clauses
of what ought to be done should a president get into a situation where he would
need medical assessment. Some countries such as South Africa may have a
presidential health unit simply because they can afford it and they have enough
medical manpower for all citizens.

As it is, the Zambian health sector is in a critical state which forces presidents and those who
are well connected to be evacuated for treatment outside the country. With a
presidential health unit in place, it is clear that the necessary resources
that would otherwise towards revamping the sector for the benefit of the rest
of the population will be channelled towards the new unit.

Constitution Provision

What the constitution states in full:(1) If it is resolved by a majority of all the members of the Cabinet
that the question of the physical or mental capacity of the President to
discharge the functions ofhis office ought to be investigated, and they so
inform the Chief Justice, then the Chief Justice shall appoint a board
consisting of not less than three persons selected by him from among persons
who are qualified as medical practitioners under the law of Zambia or under the
law of any other country in the Commonwealth, and the board shall inquire into
the matter and report to the Chief Justice on whether or not the President is,
by reason of any infirmity of body or mind, incapable of discharging the
functions of his office. (2) If the board reports that the President is incapable of discharging
the functions of his office, the Chief Justice shall certify in writing
accordingly and shall table such certificate, with the report of the board
before the National Assembly who shall on a motion, passed by a two thirds
majority – (a) ratify the decision of the board, and thereupon the President shall
cease to hold office; or (b) reject the decision of the board and cause a further inquiry into
whether or not the President is incapable of discharging the functions of his
office and shall thereafter decide on such question by a two-thirds majority
vote, which decision shall be final. (3) Where the Cabinet resolves that the question of the physical and
mental capacity of the President to discharge the functions of his office
should be investigated, the President shall, until another person assumes the
office of President or the board appointed under clause (1) reports that the
President is not incapable of discharging the functions of his office,
whichever is the earlier, cease to perform the functions of his office and
those functions shall be performed by- (a) the Vice-President; or (b) in the absence of the Vice-President or if the Vice-President is
unable, by reason of physical or mental infirmity, to discharge the functions
of his office, by such member of the Cabinet as the Cabinet shall elect:
Provided that any person performing the functions of the office of President
under this clause shall not dissolve the National Assembly nor, except on the
advice of the Cabinet, revoke any appointment made by the President. (4) A motion for the purposes of clause (1) may be proposed at any
meeting of the Cabinet.

It is a well-known fact that Cabinet is appointed by the president but it is
also a fact that Cabinet is supposed to serve the greater good of the nation.
If these servants of the people notice that their supervisor, the president is
not performing to expectation, they can fall back on the letter of the
constitution which allows them to make him rest.

Monday, 23 March 2015

Gershom,
you're the man to write about this: How much does it cost in money, manpower
and man hours wasted when all those ministers, Permanent Secretaries,
military, cadres, etc, go to see off or receive the president [at the airport]?
A rich country like the US doesn't do that. Obama just gets into Marine 1 and
is met at Andrews [Airforce Base] by the commander there and the crew. Same on
coming back. When he lands at the White House, it’s his dogs and a few members
of staff. What's your take? Blog?

I was clearly taken aback by this message
and I immediately surmised that it came as a result of President Edgar Chagwa
Lungu’s recent trip to Namibia whose departure and arrival must have been shown
on local Television with a whole retinue of people sending him off and
receiving him.

President Edgar Lungu flanked by Vice President Inonge Wina at Kenneth Kaunda

International Airport.

Obviously, the blame cannot be placed on
the new president’s shoulders. This is something that has been embedded in the
nation’s political culture right from the first president, Dr Kenneth Kaunda’s
days when everybody who was anybody in both the party and in government had to
be present at either the airport to send him off or receive him or at any
public function where he officiated.

Growing
Up In Kitwe

I remember when I was growing up in Kitwe
how we were made to walk long distances as school kids to go and stand by the
side of the road in which Dr Kaunda would be driven past. We were often hungry,
thirsty and exposed in the sun, waiting for hours on end. When the motorcade
sped by, all we could see was the man’s white hanky being waved at us.

This was mostly when he went to open the
Copperbelt Agriculture Show in Wusakile, quite a distance from Kwacha, after
landing at South Downs Airport in Chibuluma. But there were other times he
could address meetings at Buchi Hall, a manageable walking distance.

All we were left asking ourselves was
“wachimumona Kaunda [did you see Kaunda]?” For fear of being ridiculed by your
friends who also probably saw zilch was to say “yes, I saw him, I saw him!”
Then we dispersed in a more disorderly manner than when going to the place we
would line up at as a school.

But more vivid is the memory I have of UNIP
youths kicking pots off charcoal braziers shouting “bamayo nabatata tiyeni ku
meeting [mothers and fathers let’s go for the meeting]. I remember this because
my mother had a stand in the local market and she would announce to us that she
was going for a meeting to be addressed by President Kaunda.

President
Chiluba’s New Culture

Then came second President Frederick
Chiluba with his “new culture” which was somewhat different from the Kaunda
era. School children were no longer required to go and line up for him and
neither were businesses required to close in an area where he was visiting.
However, politicians of all shades and position, senior civil servants as well
as defence and security officers of all rank usually gathered to welcome him.

I must say that I covered President Chiluba
a lot when I worked for the Zambia Daily Mail on the Copperbelt and I came to
know the type of people that welcomed him. In this scheme of things, parastatal
companies usually provided trucks that ferried cadres from the compounds to go
and throng the airport or a place at which a public meeting would be addressed.

I am very sure that this political culture
carried on to the Mwanawasa administration and onwards to President Lungu.
Political appointees of all manner and equally those seeking appointments want
to be seen to be rubbing shoulders with people rubbing shoulders with the
president as one never knows when an appointing finger can land on one.

Is it President Mwanawasa? He tried
something of a novelty by travelling to the airport on a Marco Polo bus,
carrying all the ministers with him on the bus. What I don’t know is why it was
discouraged. Was it for security reasons or was it that it took the shine off
the ministers who wanted to be seen to be flying individual flags on individual
Mercedes Benz cars or those super expensive Prados?

But as the writer of the message above
alludes to, at what cost do these jaunts to and from the airport come? Let us
assume that all ministers and their deputies within Lusaka, permanent secretaries,
top defence and security officials and other government functionaries, troop to
the airport, covering a total of 60 kilometres, imagine the fuel burnt plus the
man hours lost and missed business opportunities for cancelled or rescheduled
meetings.

Maybe if it is whispered that minister so ‘n
so wasn’t at the airport, it would be seen to be insubordination and could face
the chop at the next reshuffle. Similarly, cadre so ‘n so doesn't like you Mr
President, he doesn’t deserve to be appointed into the diplomatic service or as
District Commissioner. See, he wasn't even at the airport!

Maybe it is as they say, “there is no hurry
in Africa!” One can go and stand in the sun for hours just to catch a glimpse
of the head of state and be satisfied regardless of the cost.

Saturday, 21 March 2015

Zambians Must Vote For Calibre

[1] Hi
Gershom. It is a very rich history of Politics in Zambia. Much as issues are
well articulated about where we are coming from and where we are today, I would
not support the idea about re-introduction of one party system in Zambia
because it will be again a one man show like the way Kaunda had this country
under his armpits. Freedoms were not there or enjoyed and I would not want to
get back to that. I feel as Zambians we just have to take it upon ourselves to
go for calibre when voting and not tribe or paradox voting. Look at how we used
to fear and hero worship Kaunda where he was even proud to have slogans
like" Kumulu Lesa and Panshi Kaunda [God in heaven, Kaunda on earth]”
literally saying he was also a God. Gershom there was the worst media
propaganda in this country and again the Zambians were denied chances of
knowing the truth about what was happening in the country especially in government.
Really, there are a lot of reasons why I would not support the idea.

Political Dynamics

[2] Hi Gershom. I don't think introducing a one party state will solve the
issue of tribalism in Zambia. To the contrary, what we need is more democracy
and more freedom of speech. Tribalism can only be solved if we honestly and
truthfully discuss the issue. As much as I dislike some online reports and
comments on tribal issues I think allowing people to debate openly will
eventually lead to a solution.
Zambia has an advantage in addressing tribalism because, unlike other African countries, there is no single tribe in Zambia that can
dominate others. Political dynamics and economic survival issues will produce
good leaders when democracy matures and takes root. What we need are leading
academicians and historians to publish truthful articles on tribalism and it's
causes and allow people to debate openly. As a country we need to seat [sic] down and clearly
define tribalism and set out boundaries on what is acceptable and not. For
instance is voting for a good candidate from your own tribe, tribalism? Is
insulting a particular tribe for voting overwhelmingly for a candidate of
choice acceptable behaviour? Is appointing people from your tribe in favourable
position at the exclusion of others as a reward for their vote acceptable? We
should introduce rules to penalise those who spread tribal hate speech as is
the case in the UK.
I noticed in your article you claimed that there was no tribalism from 1991
to 2001 and that the tribal issue resurfaced only at the 2006 UPND convention.
Really? Why did Easterners predominately [sic] voted for UNIP
from 1991 to 2006? The 2001 election results also showed regional trends with
MMD drawing it's support mainly from Luapula, Northern, northern parts of
central province and CB; UPND getting most of it's support from Southern,
Western, North-western and southern part of central provinces while Easterners
mainly supported FDD and UNIP. Lusaka was split between FDD and UPND. I think
tribalism in Zambia has deeper roots than what you claimed in your article,
however, I give you credit for bringing up the issue. I also read Chanda ChimbaIII's well researched article
published by Zambia Reports four days ago was more factual.
[Picture credit: wikipedia.com]